Lutheran-Orthodox Commission Members Prepare for 2008 Plenary Meeting
The preparatory meeting for the 14th Session of the Lutheran-Orthodox Joint Commission was held from 3 to 8 October in Joensuu, eastern Finland, hosted by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.
Participants in the meeting held at the Orthodox seminary in Joensuu discussed papers that provided theological expositions of Orthodox and Lutheran teaching on “The Mystery of the Church: The Holy Eucharist in the Life of the Church,” the theme currently being studied by the Joint Commission. They also deliberated specifications of the common attributes and differences between the teachings of both Christian traditions.
A draft Common Statement developed by the preparatory group and the papers presented will be discussed during the 14th Plenary Meeting of the Lutheran-Orthodox Joint Commission scheduled for 30 May to 7 June 2008, hosted by the Orthodox.
The Commission’s co-presidents are Metropolitan Gennadios of Sassima (Orthodox), representing the Ecumenical Patriarchate, and Rev. Donald McCoid (Lutheran), former bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Southwestern Pennsylvania Synod, and currently head of the ELCA’s Ecumenical and Inter-Religious Relations section. (181 words)
